Why it works: Buttermilk and evaporated milk share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 24 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Diane's German Chocolate Cake
1 8-inch 3-layer cakeIngredients
Directions
Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Pecans | 1 oz (28g / ~19 halves) | 196 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
| Pudding | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Buttermilk + evaporated milktop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together24 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Vanilla + pecanstop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,691 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Buttermilk + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Vanilla + cocoa powdertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,189 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Vanilla and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the pecans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, vanilla, cocoa powder, buttermilk, egg, evaporated milk, sugar):
- Almondfits about as well
- Hazelnutfits about as well
- Pecansthe original
- Walnutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, vanilla, cocoa powder, buttermilk, egg, evaporated milk, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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